Full Text of Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Bill Officially Published, Revealing 20-Year Lock-Up, Proof-of-Reserve Mandates
Congressional text for H.R. 8957 lays out a federal Strategic Bitcoin Reserve with a 20-year lock-up, proof-of-reserve audits, and budget-neutral buying rules.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
The bill would turn the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve into a formal federal program: bitcoin entering the reserve would be locked for 20 years, holdings would be publicly attested each quarter, and Treasury would have to find budget-neutral ways to acquire BTC.
The bill is like putting the government’s bitcoin in a locked safe for 20 years and posting regular receipts to prove it’s still there. If the government wants more bitcoin later, it has to find money by swapping other things, not by borrowing more or raising new taxes.
Analysis
What the bill sets up
The published text for H.R. 8957, the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026, shows a much more detailed framework than the earlier summary of the proposal. It would place federally held bitcoin into a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve under Treasury oversight and add rules that are meant to make the reserve durable rather than tradable.
Lock-up and disposal limits
The most striking provision is a mandatory 20-year holding period for BTC deposited into the reserve. During that period, the bitcoin could not be sold, swapped, auctioned, encumbered, or otherwise disposed of. The timer resets with each new deposit, including bitcoin obtained through criminal or civil forfeiture. After the lock-up ends, the Treasury secretary could recommend selling no more than 10% of reserve assets in any two-year window, and that would still require Congressional review.
Transparency and funding rules
The bill also requires a proof-of-reserve system with quarterly public cryptographic attestations, independent third-party audits, and Comptroller General oversight. Non-bitcoin digital assets would go into a separate Digital Asset Stockpile, and proceeds from any sales would go toward expanding the bitcoin reserve or reducing national debt.
The proposal bars the government from using new borrowing, new taxes, or deficit spending to buy BTC. Instead, Treasury and Commerce would have 180 days to study budget-neutral acquisition paths, including moving assets from the stockpile, using Federal Reserve surplus remittances, or revaluing gold certificates. It also allows states to place their own BTC in segregated Treasury accounts, while saying nothing in the bill authorizes seizure of privately held bitcoin.
Key points
- H.R. 8957 would codify a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve into federal law.
- Bitcoin deposited into the reserve would be locked for 20 years, with the lock-up resetting on each new deposit.
- The bill requires quarterly proof-of-reserve attestations, independent audits, and Comptroller General oversight.
- The government would be barred from buying BTC with new borrowing, new taxes, or deficit spending.
- Treasury and Commerce would have to study budget-neutral acquisition methods within 180 days.
If the bill advances, it could give the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve a clear legal structure and a strong custody standard. The proof-of-reserve rules may also make federal bitcoin holdings more transparent than other government asset programs.
The 20-year lock-up could make the reserve highly rigid, limiting flexibility if policymakers want to respond to changing market or fiscal conditions. The bill also still needs committee action, and its budget-neutral acquisition plan may prove difficult to turn into practice.
